Endless loop while upgrading to kernel 3.12

Gons · 2013-12-03 01:00:21

Hi everybody !

I was enjoying Archlinux on my new laptop (an ASUS N550JV) when I decided to upgrade (just a pacman -Syu) my distribution.
An error occured when It tries to install kernel 3.12.1-3 :

When installing in, my terminal displayed this :

[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET]   -> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
[2013-11-29 15:46] [ALPM-SCRIPTLET] ==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
...
...

And over and over ... (endless loop).
I didn't know exactactly what to do. I tried CTRL+C but it didn't seem to do something.
I restarted my computer and I was dropped to a recovery shell.

I booted then on my usb installation stick of Arch and chrooted in my arch parition.
I tried lot of things that I read on the web but it didn't work (reinstalling udev, systemd, mkinitcpio, linux, mkinicpio -p linux, removing pacman cache, ...)
Each time I tried to install 3.12 kernel, same error occured as above.

I don't know what to do. I don't wanna reinstall arch cause of so many hours I spent on customizing and setting up it.

Any help ?

Last edited by Gons (2013-12-03 01:01:22)

berbae · 2013-12-03 10:28:22

Gons wrote:

I booted then on my usb installation stick of Arch and chrooted in my arch parition.
I tried lot of things that I read on the web but it didn't work (reinstalling udev, systemd, mkinitcpio, linux, mkinicpio -p linux, removing pacman cache, ...)

Hi,
It would be more precise to tell exactly what commands you used and why you say they didn't work.
Did you reboot after the changes ?

Now can you install the kernel from the usb installation stick and then reboot the system without the stick?

Is /boot on a separate partition ? What do you have in /boot ? etc...
Only by searching you will find the solution. Good luck.

Gons · 2013-12-03 22:19:35

berbae wrote:

Gons wrote:
I booted then on my usb installation stick of Arch and chrooted in my arch parition.
I tried lot of things that I read on the web but it didn't work (reinstalling udev, systemd, mkinitcpio, linux, mkinicpio -p linux, removing pacman cache, ...)
Hi,
It would be more precise to tell exactly what commands you used and why you say they didn't work.
Did you reboot after the changes ?
Now can you install the kernel from the usb installation stick and then reboot the system without the stick?
Is /boot on a separate partition ? What do you have in /boot ? etc...
Only by searching you will find the solution. Good luck.

Thanks for helping.
/boot si on the same partition.
I chrooted and try :

pacman -Syu
pacman -S udev
pacman -S mkinitcpio
mkinitcpio -p linux

I also try

pacman -Scc

before these commands.

When my system tries to install kernel (by pacman -Syu or with mkinitcpio -p linux), the result is the endless loop mentionned above. I have to shutdown my computer. CTRL+C don't work.
When I reboot I have the following :

Warning: /lib/modules/3.12.0-1-ARCH/modules.devname not found -ignoring
Wainting 10 seconds for device /dev/disk/by_uuid/....
ERROR: device 'UUID=.......' not found. Skipping fsck. 
ERROR: Unable to find root device 'UUID=...."
You are dropped to a recovery shell.
Type 'exit' to try and continue booting.
sh: can't access tty: job control turned off
[rootfs /]#

I guess it's because it don't find a correct kernel.

Edit : I know have a kernel panic at reboot.
Installing linux-lts didn't work :

==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
-> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux.img
==> ERROR: Preset not found: `/etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset'
==> ERROR: Failed to read configuration: `/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux-lts.preset: 'default'
-> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux-lts.img
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux-lts.preset: 'fallback'
-> -k /boot/vmlinuz-linux-lts -c /etc/mkinitcpio.conf -g /boot/initramfs-linux-lts-fallback.img -S autodetect
==> ERROR: Preset not found: `/etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset'
==> ERROR: Failed to read configuration: `/etc/mkinitcpio.conf'

In /boot I only have one file : vmlinuz-linux-lts

Last edited by Gons (2013-12-03 22:44:02)

berbae · 2013-12-04 10:05:39

It's very difficult to see clearly the problem you have because you've done many things, and I don't know if you went back to the previous state before you tried something else, and you didn't tell if you try to reboot each times (though I understand that you cannot reboot).

In the last message list you get:
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset: 'default'
and
==> Building image from preset: /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux-lts.preset: 'default'
mixed : why?
Did you try to install two kernels simultaneously ?

In /boot you should find a directory for grub or syslinux, which you haven't : why ?

Maybe your hard disk has a problem : try to fsck it from the installation stick.

Sorry but it's rather confused for me to find something more useful presently.

falconindy · 2013-12-04 14:19:18

You appear to be referencing a preset from a preset. Post the contents of /etc/mkinitcpio.d/linux.preset and /etc/mkinitcpio.conf.

Arch Linux

#1 2013-12-03 01:00:21

Endless loop while upgrading to kernel 3.12

#2 2013-12-03 10:28:22

Re: Endless loop while upgrading to kernel 3.12

#3 2013-12-03 22:19:35

Re: Endless loop while upgrading to kernel 3.12

#4 2013-12-04 10:05:39

Re: Endless loop while upgrading to kernel 3.12

#5 2013-12-04 14:19:18

Re: Endless loop while upgrading to kernel 3.12

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